2017 Symposium Speakers, Panelists and ALL Award Honorees

Francesca DeBiase

Chief Supply Chain and Sustainability Officer, McDonald’s Corporation

Francesca is also responsible for overseeing Global Supply Chain. Her team’s role is to ensure the most competitive suppliers with the right capabilities are focusing on the future needs of our customers. The team leverages the scale of our $40 billion spend in food, packaging, logistics, toys, technology, equipment and other services, while driving safety, quality and sustainability leadership in the industry.

Since joining McDonald’s in 1991, Francesca has held numerous management roles in Supply Chain and Finance in the U.S. and internationally. She was previously responsible for strategic sourcing, quality assurance and new food development for McDonald’s European operations, leading a team of supply chain, quality, food safety, sustainability and food technology experts.

Francesca is a Board member of Hephzibah Children’s Association. For Loyola University Chicago, she is an Advisory Board member to the Supply and Value Chain Center. She is also a passionate advocate for women and the Global Advisor to the McDonald’s Women’s Leadership Network.

She began her career with Ernst & Young and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Economics from Loyola University Chicago.

Kristin French

retired Brigadier General, U.S. Army, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense (Logistics and Materiel Readiness), U.S. Department of Defense

Kristin graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York in 1986 and was commissioned into the Regular Army as a Lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps. She retired from military service as a Brigadier General in November 2015. Prior to her military retirement, she served as the Commanding General for the Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command and the Joint Munitions Command in Rock Island, Illinois. From 2011 to 2013 she served as the Commanding General for 3d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and in April 2012 deployed the unit to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Her 29+ years in uniform included duties in key command and staff positions worldwide, to include tours in the Pentagon, Defense Logistics Agency and Army Materiel Command. Along with her General Officer commands, she commanded Alpha Company, 703d Main Support Battalion, 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized), Kitzingen, Germany; Regimental Support Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado; and 406th Army Field Support Brigade, Army Sustainment Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Her military service includes combat deployments as the Commanding General, Joint Sustainment Command-Afghanistan and senior operational logistician in Afghanistan as well as a squadron commander and the senior logistician in western Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She also completed a deployment to Kuwait in support of Operation Desert Fox and to Croatia in support of Operation Joint Endeavor.

Kristin holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy; a Master of Science degree in Logistics Management from Florida Institute of Technology; and a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. Her military education includes the Quartermaster Officer Basic and Advanced Courses and the Logistics Executive Development Course at Fort Lee, Virginia; U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. She received numerous awards and decorations throughout her military career, to include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, two Bronze Star Medals and the Parachutist badge. She is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

Heather Sheehan

Director, Member Engagement & Sponsorships, AWESOME,
Recipient of the 2014 AWESOME Legendary Leadership Award

Heather has over 30 years’ experience in manufacturing and transportation. Prior to joining Danaher, Heather held various leadership positions in procurement, logistics and marketing with Honeywell, Union Pacific and NCR.

Heather is on the board of directors of CSCMP and served as Chairman.

She earned degrees from Penn State (Bachelor of Science) and Carnegie Mellon (Master of Science).

Michelle Drew Rodriguez

Manufacturing Leader, Center for Industry Insights, Deloitte LLP

Michelle has developed studies in conjunction with The Manufacturing Institute and The National Association of Manufacturers on talent issues, including women in manufacturing, the skills gap in U.S. manufacturing, and public perception of manufacturing. She is also driving Deloitte’s joint research with the Council on Competitiveness for the 2016 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index to identify critical drivers and rankings of competitiveness for nations and companies.

The foundation of the research Michelle leads is based on interviews with CEOs, CTOs, governmental leaders, university presidents, national laboratory leaders, and labor union leaders as well as collaboration with organizations such as World Economic Forum, Council on Competitiveness, MAPI, Automotive News, NAM, and The Manufacturing Institute.

She has a MBA from the University of Michigan and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

Micaela Bulich

VP Onshore Wind Global Supply Chain, GE Renewables

Micaela has a proven track record leading highly engineered industrial global supply chain organizations, developing diverse teams and creating and executing strategies to deliver exceptional business results.

Micaela’s career in the energy industry includes roles as Vice President, Sourcing for GE Energy and Power and Water and General Manager, Quality and Regulatory Compliance. She became a GE officer in 2011. She held roles of Quality, Manufacturing and Global Supply Chain leadership at GE Plastics where she joined GE in 1998. Prior to joining GE Micaela spent 10 years at DuPont in supply chain and engineering roles. Her first role out of college was a flight controls engineer at United Technologies Sikorsky Aircraft.

Micaela is an executive cosponsor for GE’s Women in Supply Chain effort. She a Board member of University of Hartford’s College of Engineering, Technology and Architecture. She also served a 5 year term on her local school district’s Board of Education.

Micaela holds a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Hartford and an MS in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Micaela and her husband Jimmy have been married 28 years. They have two sons, Nathaniel and Seth, both mechanical engineers. The family are avid outdoor lovers. Micaela and Jimmy reside in upstate New York.

Michelle Dilley

Chief Supply Chain Transformation Officer, DSC Logistics

Before coming to DSC, Michelle served as Senior Vice President, Operations, at LaSalle Bristol, and was accountable for supply chain operations throughout the United States and Canada. Prior to LaSalle Bristol, she served as Vice President, Supply Chain, at Ascension Health, where she led supply chain business transformation and operational redesign.

Michelle started her career at Whirlpool, beginning as a Global Commodity Analyst and, over 16 years, migrated to roles of increasing responsibility including Senior Financial Analyst, Direct Procurement and North America Finance; Supply Base Manager, Direct Procurement; Global Director, Transregional Sales; and, ultimately, General Manager, Global Indirect Goods & Services Sourcing. Michelle has a BA in International Business and German from the University of Michigan.

Linda Guzzi

SVP, Enterprise Sourcing and Business Optimization McKesson

Linda’s background includes leadership positions in areas such as procurement and supply chain and organizational leadership with a number of global, high-tech companies, including Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT), Cisco, IBM and Hewlett Packard.

Throughout her career, Linda has been recognized as a maverick and change agent in transforming procurement teams, practices, and policies to drive significant business results.

Linda holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a focus on purchasing and materials management from Arizona State University. She has attended Thunderbird International School of Management, Stanford Supply Chain Executive Training and participated in IBM Leadership Programs.

Amy White

VP Global Planning and Executive Sponsor of Nike’s Women of Operations, NIKE, Inc.

Previously, Amy held a variety of leadership positions at Nike including Vice President, Global Category Operations, VP GM North America Running Category, Core Performance Category Footwear Leader, Senior Director US Footwear Demand and Inventory Planning, Strategic Planning Senior Director, Nike Supply Chain Finance lead, and Corporate Audit Senior Director. She began her career as a CPA with Deliotte in her hometown of Boston.

Amy is the proud mother of three sons. When she is not trying to keep up with their many adventures and sporting activities, she is trying her best to stay fit to compensate for her love of cooking.

Sarah Pfaff

Principal, Ernst & Young Supply Chain Advisory Services

As a result of her pioneering, she was twice recognized as an iSource Pro to Know. More recently Sarah has brought her passion to the world of BPO/ITO Advisory. She has assisted many leading companies wrestling with the complex issues associated with outsourcing their SG&A functions and has spoken at numerous industry events on her outsourcing experiences.

Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Sarah was the Global Procurement Practice lead at EquaTerra. Sarah also serves on EY’s Americas Inclusiveness Advisory Council which supports and advises all EY Service Lines on programs, activities and initiatives that grow EY’s representation of women and ethnic minorities in senior roles. EY is proud to be recognized as a leading D&I brand.

Sarah has served on several Procurement and Supply Chain Advisory Boards, including SIG’s where she brought innovative ideas, forward thinking and unbridled enthusiasm. Jason Busch from SpendMatters said, Sarah “has the sense of humor and irony necessary to get things done and improve our profession from the inside out.”

Sally Blount

Dean, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern

Sally was named dean of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 2010. In her first year, she led Kellogg to map out a bold seven-year plan for transforming the school by: restructuring administrative operations, strengthening its degree portfolio, investing in path-breaking thought leadership, deepening global connectivity, and leveraging Kellogg’s distinctive culture. Since launching the plan, the team has made significant progress under Sally’s leadership – repeatedly breaking fundraising records with the school’s $350 million Transforming Together campaign; constructing a 415,000-square-foot, lakefront, state-of-the-art education center; expanding Kellogg’s premier Executive MBA Global Network and enhancing Kellogg’s international standing.

Sally is a director at Abbott Laboratories. She serves on the advisory boards for the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program, Indian School of Business, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Business School, and Fundacao Dom Cabral in Brazil. Sally was also the co-chair for the World Economic Forum on Latin America in 2012. She has been featured in top news outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Forbes, The Economist, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fortune and MSNBC.

Dean, Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa

Previously, she was the Beaman Professor of Business at the University of Tennessee where her leadership roles included Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, as well as Assistant and Associate Dean for the College of Business Administration. She has served in leadership and volunteer positions for international business school associations, including the MBA Roundtable, the Graduate Management Admissions Council, and AACSB. Sarah is a board member of the United Fire Group, Inc. and the University of Iowa Community Credit Union.

Throughout her academic career, she has been the recipient of several teaching awards, and she has published on the topic of customer value and satisfaction, including her book, “Know Your Customer.” She is a frequent public speaker for academic, corporate, and non-profit organizations, and she has worked with a variety of companies, including Procter and Gamble and Frito-Lay.

Sarah earned her undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of Arkansas and her doctorate in Marketing from the University of Houston.

A native of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Sarah and her husband, Jeffrey Gleeson, enjoy motorcycle riding and travel. She has two grown daughters, Meredith and Julia.

Judy Olian

Dean and John E. Anderson Chair in Management UCLA Anderson School of Management

UCLA Anderson is among the leading business schools in the world, annually providing management education across MBA, Masters and doctoral programs, and to more than 2,000 working professionals through executive education programs. The school has several internationally recognized research centers and a global alumni network of more than 37,000 graduates. Under her leadership, UCLA Anderson has hired a record number of faculty, and raised over $350M for students and faculty support, and to create innovative programming.

The School’s Board of Visitors has expanded, attracting many prominent business leaders who represent diverse functional and global perspectives. Olian served as the 2008 chairman of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), the premier business accrediting and management thought leadership organization in the world.

Widely published in journals on human resource management, top management team composition, and the business alignment of management systems, Olian wrote a weekly syndicated newspaper column and hosted a monthly television show on current topics in business. She is a sought-after speaker and has consulted for major corporations. She serves on the boards of United Therapeutics, Ares Management, Technology Development Group, and on the advisory board of Catalyst.

Born and raised in Australia, Olian holds a B.S. degree in Psychology from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Industrial Relations from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Nancy Nix

Executive Director, AWESOME

As Executive Director of AWESOME, Nancy is responsible for all areas of the organization and for implementing key initiatives, including the annual Symposium for leading women in the profession, the AWESOME / Gartner Women in Supply Chain research, and the AWESOME Excellence in Education Scholarship program. She is frequently a moderator, speaker or panelist for industry events powered by AWESOME and at the invitation of other organizations.

At TCU, Nancy taught Global Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Information Technology, and Supply Chain Strategy courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. She also led numerous MBA and EMBA study abroad experiences, which included visits with companies and economic development organizations in China, India, and South America. She received an MBA Faculty Award in 2005, an award for innovation in curriculum development in 2006, and the Neeley School of Business Dean’s Teaching Award in 2013.

Prior to entering the academic field, Nancy held a number of managerial roles in manufacturing, logistics, procurement and customer service for the DuPont Company. She also spent one and a half years as VP of Logistics for Reliance Industries Ltd., in Mumbai, India.

Nancy is an active member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). She served as Chair of CSCMP’s Research Strategies Committee for four years, as a member of the Board of Directors for eight years, on the Executive Committee for five years, and as Chair of the Board for one year. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for DSC Logistics. She completed her doctorate in Logistics and Marketing at the University of Tennessee. She completed her MBA in the Fox School at Temple University, and her Bachelor of Science degree at Salisbury University in Salisbury, MD.

Martin Felli

SVP, Enterprise Sourcing and Business Optimization McKesson

Prior to joining JDA, Martin was General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of ECOtality, Inc., a Company that provided electric vehicle charging infrastructure products and solutions used in on-road, grid-connected vehicles, material handling and airport electric ground support applications. While at ECOtality, Martin helped oversee “The EV Project” the largest US Department of Energy electric vehicle infrastructure project to date to examine various situations involving EV drivers and charging infrastructure.

Before his time at ECOtality, Martin was the Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc., the world’s leading outdoor advertising company. At Clear Channel Outdoor, he was responsible for all legal matters for Clear Channel Outdoor’s Western Region, Airports and Latin America operations. He later on assumed legal responsibility for Clear Channel Outdoor’s digital deployment and revenue optimization for the Western and Mid-West Regions which comprise roughly 15 individual and unique business units. During his tenure at Clear Channel Outdoor, Martin was instrumental in successfully negotiating concession agreements and arrangements with municipalities and other governmental entities, including Clear Channel Outdoor’s advertising concessions in Phoenix with the City of Phoenix Transit Department for bus advertising, and the $250 million San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency transit advertising program.

Earlier in his career, Martin served as Senior Counsel for Home Box Office (HBO), the premium cable television network owned by Time Warner, Inc. At HBO, Martin’s responsibilities included HBO Properties, New Media and pay-per-view event distribution. In that role, Martin worked on the launch of the HBO Store, publication of books for Sex and the City and The Sopranos series, the first HBO interactive media technology deal with Sprint and pay per view distribution deals for boxing programming, including one of the highest grossing boxing events in recent memory: Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson.

Martin started his legal career in New York as an associate with the corporate group of the law firm of Latham & Watkins. He holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania where he was a member of the Inns of Court, and a B.A., magna cum laude from Baruch College, New York, New York. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the New York Bar Association.

Robert Martichenko

Founder & CEO – LeanCor Supply Chain Group

A globally recognized thought leader in lean thinking and end-to-end supply chain management, Robert is also a senior instructor for the Lean Enterprise Institute and the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute.

He serves in volunteer and advisory positions at the College of Charleston, Appalachian State University, The Urban Electric Company and is a frequent speaker for professional industry groups around the world.
Robert is an award-winning business author, successful novelist and he received the 2015 Distinguished Service Award from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

Robert complements his professional experience with a Bachelor Degree in Mathematics, an MBA in Finance, and a Six Sigma Black Belt.

Hans Melotte

EVP, Global Supply Chain & Quality, Starbucks

Prior to joining Starbucks in June 2016, Hans spent more than 25 years in a variety of leadership roles in multiple regions with highly respected companies and consumer brands. Most recently, he served as the Johnson & Johnson Chief Procurement Officer. Prior to Johnson & Johnson, Hans worked at Procter & Gamble and Coopers & Lybrand.

Originally from Belgium, Hans holds a master’s degree in business from the University of Louvain near Brussels. He was named as one of the “Top 10 Most Influential and Thought Leader CPOs” in the United States in 2013 and was honored as the Procurement Leader of the Year in 2010. Hans also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Supply Management.

Hans lives in Seattle with his wife and two children. He enjoys running, cycling and skiing. His favorite Starbucks beverage is a Latte Macchiato.

Abré Pienaar

CEO, iPlan

Dr. Pienaar holds five University degrees and a Fellow Level CFPIM certification from the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), is a Certified Member of the American Society for Quality Control, and is registered as a Professional Engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa. He served on the Board of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) from 2006 through 2008. In 2013 CSCMP recognized his lifetime contribution to the Supply Chain Management profession with their “Distinguished Service Award.”

In a career that spans academic, professional and business pursuits, Abré has worked as a quality engineer, line manager in manufacturing, project manager for business system implementations, university faculty member, and executive director of a Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed company.

Dave MacEachern

Global Transportation & Third-Party Logistics Practice Lead, Spencer Stuart

• Dave’s search work focuses on senior leadership roles across all modes of transportation — trucking, rail and ocean. He also works with third-party providers in a variety of logistics, service and distribution businesses. His clients range from industry-leading global companies to smaller entrepreneurial organizations, including private equity-sponsored businesses that are growth-oriented and, often, niche-focused. He has significant exposure to both asset and non-asset companies.
• He also has impressive credentials in the supply chain arena, where he works with industry-leading organizations across all verticals (CPG, technology, industrial, healthcare and financial services) in securing end-to-end supply chain executives. He has particular depth in the CSCO and CPO areas.
• Dave is a member of numerous industry associations and has written extensively on supply chain and logistics over the years.
• Prior to joining Spencer Stuart in 1994, Dave was a partner with a boutique executive search firm in Canada.

Dave earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors from Dalhousie University and has completed postgraduate studies in political science.

Carol Ross Barney

Founder and President, Ross Barney Architects

Her work has an international reputation in design of institutional and public buildings and has been exhibited and published in national and international journals, books, newspapers and web media. Her building designs have received numerous honors including 4 Institute Honor Awards from the American Institute of Architects and over 40 AIA Chicago Design Awards. Her work has received significant sustainable building awards including two AIA COTE Top Ten Green Project awards.

Carol is the recipient of the AIA Thomas Jefferson Award and the AIA Illinois Gold Medal, both recognizing excellence in architectural achievement.

Carol is a graduate of the University of Illinois. Following graduation, she served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica planning national parks. She currently teaches an advanced Design Studio at IIT and serves on their College Board of Overseers.

Her projects include; NASA Aerospace Communications Facility, The Chicago Riverwalk, CTA Cermak and Morgan Street Stations, Oklahoma City Federal Building, Bloomingdale/ 606 Trail Framework Design, JRC Synagogue, OSU Chiller Plant, and the FermiLab OTE Building.

MarySue Barrett

President, Metropolitan Planning Council, Chicago

MarySue speaks and writes frequently about why and how cities must continually reinvent themselves. She deconstructs Chicago’s and MPC’s success stories as models for cities across the globe, while offering constructive analysis when we fail to unlock our region’s full potential.  

Prior to joining MPC, MarySue served in former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley as his chief of policy. She counts among her top accomplishments Chicago’s early implementation of community policing and the City’s successful bid to host the 1996 Democratic National Convention. Tapping her deep knowledge of government, she recently has led transition committees for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Ill. Gov. Bruce Rauner.

MarySue is a steering committee member of World Business Chicago’s Plan for Economic Growth & Jobs, co-chairing the infrastructure team and serving on the board of Current. She recently joined the Board of Directors of IFF and serves on the Advisory Board of the Chicago Infrastructure Trust. She is a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. She is also active with The Chicago Network and the Economic Club of Chicago. She has participated in leadership exchanges sponsored by the International Women’s Forum (1996), Rockefeller Foundation (2009) and Brookings Institution (2008 and 2011). She has a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University.

Amy Liu

Vice President, Brookings Institution and Director, Metropolitan Policy Program

Most recently, Amy authored “Remaking Economic Development: The Markets and Civics of Continuous Growth and Prosperity,” in which she argues that city and metropolitan leaders must adopt a broader vision of economic development that can deliver economic growth, prosperity, and inclusion for all residents. In “Remaking Economic Development,” she discusses the limitations of existing strategies, outlines five principles that define a new model of economic development, and highlights innovations underway in cities and metropolitan areas across the country emblematic of this broader vision.

In 2011, Amy was lead editor of “Resilience and Opportunity: Lessons from the Gulf Coast after Katrina and Rita,” a volume of essays exploring ways to accelerate the region’s recovery. This built on her co-authorship of the New Orleans Index, a multi-year series of reports that tracked New Orleans’ progress in the aftermath of Katrina.

Amy also has extensive experience working with states and the federal government to develop policies and strategies to support cities and metropolitan areas. In 2013, she served as a special advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, guiding policy priorities related to trade, innovation, and data. In 2010, she co-authored “Delivering the Next Economy: The States Step Up,” outlining a model for states to support bottom-up regional innovation.

Prior to her work at Brookings, Amy was Special Assistant to HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros and staffed the U.S. Senate Banking Committee’s subcommittee on housing and urban affairs.

Amy serves as an advisory board member for ACT of Alexandria, a local community foundation, and as a trustee of Hopkins House, a Northern Virginia early childhood education non-profit that serves low-income families.

Liu holds a degree in social policy and urban studies from Northwestern University. In 2015, she completed the High Impact Leadership Program at Columbia Business School.

Lynn J. Osmond

Hon AIA, CAE
President & CEO, Chicago Architectural Foundation

During Lynn’s tenure, CAF has expanded its docent tour program which now has 450 volunteers that give 90 different tours, totaling 7,000 tours annually. It is recognized internationally as one of the leading programs of its kind in the world. Lynn initiated Open House Chicago (OHC), a citywide annual free architecture festival, which attracts over 100,000 people annually and the popular Chicago Model, a permanent scale model exhibition of the city. Lynn spearheaded the launch of the Association of Architecture Organizations that now has over 165 international members.

CAF reaches over 26,000 students annually through its youth education programs. Other education initiatives include three curricular resources for K-12 teachers and students: “Schoolyards to Skylines” (K-8), “The Architecture Handbook” (high school) and “Discover Design”, a digital learning based program, all used throughout the county.

In recognition of CAF’s contributions over the years, the American Architectural Foundation presented CAF with its 2014 Keystone Award that honors an individual or organization from outside the field of architecture, for exemplary leadership that has increased the value of architecture and design in our culture. In 2005, Lynn was recognized as an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects. In 2002, she was awarded the Paul Berger Arts Entrepreneurship Award presented by Columbia College, and in 2009 she received the Chicago Woman Achievement Award from CREW (Chicago Real Estate Women).

Lynn serves on the boards of Choose Chicago, the Magnificent Mile, the Central Area Committee, the Chicago Loop Alliance and the International Women’s Forum. She is a member of Toronto Sister Cities, the Commercial Club, the Chicago Network, the Economic Club of Chicago, the Executives’ Club of Chicago, the Ely Chapter of Lambda Alpha International and Urban Land Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Queens University, Ontario, Canada. She is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and a graduate of the Advanced Executive Program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Ellen Kullman

Chair of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of DuPont from January 2009 to October 2015

During her seven years as CEO at DuPont, she decisively positioned the company for its next generation of growth and championed the power of DuPont science and market knowledge to change industries. While guiding the company through the global financial crisis of 2008, she developed a plan to transform DuPont by moving out of commoditized businesses and establishing it as a premier, market-driven science company. She intensified the company’s focus in emerging international markets and fundamentally transformed DuPont’s portfolio to take advantage of growth opportunities where the company’s unique science and engineering capabilities could deliver innovation and create sustainable value.

Ellen began her 27-year career at DuPont in 1988 as a marketing manager for the DuPont medical imaging business. Prior to joining DuPont, she worked for Westinghouse and General Electric. At DuPont she ran several industrial businesses. She also led the double-digit growth of the company’s Safety & Protection business portfolio and started up two successful high-growth businesses known as DuPont Industrial Biosciences and DuPont Sustainable Solutions. She served as executive vice president, a member of the company’s office of the chief executive and president. She was named CEO at the beginning of 2009 and board chair later that year, becoming the 19th executive to lead DuPont since its founding in 1802.

She is a member of the boards of directors of United Technologies Corporation, Dell Technologies, Amgen, Goldman Sachs and Carbon3D. She is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and past chair of the U.S.-China Business Council. She serves on the board of trustees of Northwestern University and the board of overseers of Tufts School of Engineering.

A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Ellen holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University and an M.S. in Management from Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University. She has been named one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” by Fortune and one of the 50 “World’s Most Powerful Women” by Forbes. She is a strong advocate for improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students. She has been awarded honorary doctorates from Lehigh University, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Delaware.

Donna Zarcone

President & CEO, The Economic Club of Chicago

Donna currently serves on three corporate boards, Cigna Corporation, CDW and The Duchossois Group, and previously served on the boards of The Jones Group and Wrightwood Capital.

She previously served as Founder, President, and CEO of D.F. Zarcone & Associates LLC, a strategic advisory firm providing consulting at the executive and board level. Donna is an experienced chief executive and board director, with a proven record of rapidly growing and building companies, while consistently delivering outstanding bottom line results.

Prior to D.F. Zarcone & Associates LLC, Donna served as the President of Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc. where she led that international company through transformational growth. In her eight year tenure as President, managed loans grew from $1.1 billion to over $6 billion, market share grew from 20% to 50%, and annual operating income increased from $20 million to over $200 million. Donna joined the independent start-up finance company in 1994 as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and was instrumental in the sale of that company to Harley-Davidson, Inc. in 1995. She became its President, Chief Operating Officer, and Board Director in August 1998. Donna was also responsible for the creation, development and leadership of Harley- Davidson Enthusiast Services, a collection of service offerings including Harley Owners Group, Rider’s Edge motorcycle training classes, motorcycle rentals and tours, museum development, and web-based commerce.

Prior to her affiliation with Harley-Davidson, Donna served as Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer of Chrysler Systems Leasing, Inc., a computer technology leasing company. she began her career as an auditor and computer audit specialist with KPMG/Peat Marwick.

Donna is actively engaged civically, currently serving on the board of the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago; Committee of 200; Chicago Network; and Young Presidents’ Organization.

Donna holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting from Illinois State University and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is a certified public accountant.

Pat Mitchell

President and CEO of Pat Mitchell Media and TEDWomen – Curator, Host and Executive Director

Pat is the former president of CNN Productions, where she executive-produced programs that have received 35 Emmy Awards and five Peabody Awards. In 2000, she became the first woman president and CEO of PBS. She also served as president and CEO of the Paley Center for Media. In 2011, she partnered with TEDTalks to co-curate the TEDWomen global conference, which will be held this year in New Orleans on November 1^st – 3^rd.

Pat is especially proud to have been recognized by The Women’s Media Center with its first Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Since then, the “Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award” is given annually to women for advancing women through media. Pat also advises foundations and corporations on women’s empowerment issues and leadership development as well as media relations and governance.

She is the chair of the Jordan River Foundation US Board, the Women’s Media Center and the Sundance Institute boards, a founding board member of V-Day, a member of the board of the Acumen Fund, the Skoll Foundation, Participant Media, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Georgia, Pat holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English literature. She has taught at the University of Georgia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics.

Trish Lukasik

Chief Operating Officer, SpotHero

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Trish enjoys spending time with her spouse and sons. Together, they enjoy a very active lifestyle which provides a fulfilling balance to her professional life. She also enjoys cooking, reading, travel, and fitness. 

Dana Stiffler

Research VP, Gartner

Dana’s work at AMR Research and now Gartner has led to direct, long-term involvement with the supply chain and sourcing leadership of global manufacturers and life sciences and CPG companies, as well as large retailers. She has been quoted in leading business publications, including the New York Times, the Financial Times and Businessweek, and numerous other business and technology publications.Previously, Dana spent three years with Meridien Research (now IDC’s Financial Insights), where she launched the Emerging Trading Technologies practice.

She holds a B.A. in International Relations from Claremont McKenna College and an M.A. in Law & Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Kate Daly

Vice President, Human Resources, DSC Logistics

Prior to joining DSC, Kate was Vice President, Human Resources, at D&W Fine Pack. Prior to that she was Senior Vice President, Human Resources, at PSAV Presentation Services. Before becoming Senior VP, she was Director, Management Development. Earlier in her career she held positions of increasing responsibility, including Director of Training & Development, North America, for Panasonic and for Barneys New York.

Kate has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial & Labor Relations with a major in Human Resource Management from Cornell University. She is a member the Society for Human Resources Management and received SPHR certification in 2012.  

Daniella Levitt

Co-Executive Director, Leading Women Executives and Author of Ready, Set…RISK! – Positive Strategies and Tactics for Women to Turn Career Risk into Opportunity

Her initial focus for the business was assisting corporations with project management for complex regulatory, technology and operational transformational change initiatives. Once she established a core client base in that arena, she turned her eye to three subjects she was extremely passionate about – inter-generational leadership; risk taking (from a professional perspective, as well as the relationship in an organization between risk, change, innovation and growth); and advancement of women in the workplace. Daniella challenged herself to apply her transformational change experience, thought leadership, creativity, and ideation, to be able to bring unique and innovative frameworks, tools, content and programs to the marketplace related to these subject areas. In rising to her own challenge, she successfully expanded the scope of services under the Ovation Global Strategies umbrella.

She developed and launched the gen-xyb™ program, a corporate program focused on inter-generational professional development and collaboration for women. This highly successful program brought together women in cross-generational pairs from different companies, with each cohort participating in a year-long program cycle. She authored her first book, Ready, Set…RISK! – a book about positive strategies and tactics for women to turn career risk into opportunity. Ready, Set…RISK! is the indispensable ‘how to’ of successful risk taking in your career. She established herself as a subject matter expert on using risk taking as a strategy to drive transformational change with individuals and leadership teams in organizations, and as a go-to resource when tackling challenges related to inter-generational leadership and talent development.

At the end of 2016, Leading Women Executives approached Daniella about coming on board as their Executive Director. Daniella accepted the position at the beginning of March, viewing this as the next phase in her journey and mission to increase the scope and magnitude of impact on advancement of women in the workplace, by focusing on getting more women through the inflection point from management to senior leadership, and equipping these women to further enhance their effectiveness as senior leaders. She will be partnering with the current Executive Director as she transitions into the role, to fully take it over by June.

Consequently, going forward, Daniella will focus on her three priority areas – her role as Executive Director at Leading Women Executives, the continued growth of Ovation Global Strategies, and her work on her second book, which will be tied into her inter-generational leadership work.

Daniella is a Board member of Access Community Health Network, and a Board member of the Chicago Sinfonietta. Daniella and her husband Steve live in Chicago’s northwest suburbs. When Daniella isn’t working with clients, she can be found teaching group cycle classes, encouraging the members to leave nothing on the table, and to challenge themselves—every song, every second, every time—to go somewhere they haven’t been before. For both organizations and individuals, Daniella is clearly all about change.  

Debbie Lentz

former SVP and Chief Supply Chain Officer, Toys”R”Us, and 2015 ALL Award Honoree

Debbie is the former SVP, Chief Supply Chain Officer for Toys ”R” Us, Inc. where she was responsible for all supply chain functions globally including Dotcom/Omni Channel Fulfillment, Merchandise Planning and Allocation, Sales and Operations Planning and Engineering.

Before joining Toys “R” Us, Debbie spent 13 years at Kraft Foods Group, where she achieved successful international leadership and a true cross-cultural perspective. At Kraft, she advanced to the position of Senior Vice President, Customer Service and Logistics. In this role, she oversaw 3,500 associates across a network of distribution centers, direct store delivery branches and a transportation fleet. She led a successful transformation which drove significant cost savings, inventory reduction and service improvement as well as the seamless separation and spin off of Kraft Foods Group from Mondelēz International for Logistics. Prior to this role, she lived and worked in Zurich, Switzerland where she was the Vice President of Manufacturing Operations for Kraft Europe’s $3.5B Coffee business.

In 2015, she was presented with the AWESOME Legendary Leadership award; in 2013, she received the “Thinkers & Movers” Award from DSC Logistics, and in 2008, the Robert D. Pashek award for significant contributions to the practice and development of supply chain by Penn State University.

Debbie has been a prominent advocate for collaboration among supply chain partners. She served on the Board of Directors of the International Women’s Forum Leadership Foundation from 2007 through 2015 and for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) in 2015. Debbie has actively participated in AWESOME since its inception in 2013, serving as an AWESOME advisor and as a panelist at several events powered by AWESOME and honestly and openly addresses issues faced by women in the workplace.

Susan Pellechio

VP of Transportation, Integrated Logistics, Global Supply Chain, Starbucks

At Staples before joining Starbucks, Susan was responsible for leading third party transportation sourcing, procurement, and supplier collaboration for North America and across all modes, including parcel, courier, truckload, intermodal, LTL and ocean. Additionally, Susan led U.S. Transportation Operations, including planning and execution of freight inbound to their fulfillment and distribution centers, delivery of product to their retail stores, line haul operations across their complex delivery network; she led the restructure of their final mile Customer delivery network. In Susan’s long career with Staples she also held key roles across multiple operating disciplines within the Company, including Finance, Product Marketing, Contract Sales, Wholesaler Programs & Operations, Corporate Integration, and Merchandising, Cross Channel Promotions, and Site Operations for Staples.com.

Prior to Staples, Susan worked in high tech manufacturing for LTX Corporation where she held multiple roles within various financial planning functions. Susan has a BS in Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University.

TRISH YOUNG

VP, Strategic Enterprise Capabilities, Value Streams, NIKE, Inc.

A 26-year Nike veteran, Trish joined the company as a Customer Service Representative in Memphis, Tennessee. She acquired broad operations and leadership experience through positions such as North America Director of Logistics and Operations, Supply Chain Director for Asia Pacific, Director of U.S. Customer Service and Sr. Director of Demand Planning and Inventory for North America.

In her capacity as VP, NA Supply Chain, Trish has been responsible for end-to-end Supply Chain activities within North America and for driving collaborative learnings and solutions with her global partners to ensure a healthy marketplace. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Louisiana Tech University.

MICHELLE LIVINGSTONE

VP, Transportation, The Home Depot

Prior to joining The Home Depot, Michelle served as Senior Vice President of Transportation for C & S Wholesale Grocers and as Vice President of Transportation at JCPenney. Prior to JCPenney, she spent 17 years at Kraft Foods in transportation and supply chain roles including Senior Director of Transportation and Supply Chain for Kraft Foods North America.

Michelle has a BS in Business, with a concentration in transportation, from Indiana University and an MBA with high honors from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. Among other industry commitments, she serves as a director on the boards of the Intermodal Transportation Institute of University of Denver and the Coalition for Responsible Transportation.